Contact Tralle Law
612-787-2553 claire (AT) trallelaw.com

Coffee with Claire #43 – Commonly Asked Questions Blog Series

January 28, 2019

What is The Hiring
Process? Step One: The Initial Phone Call

Writer’s note: This blog series is meant to act as responses to “quick” questions you may have for attorneys.  Think of these answers as a “quick” answer you might receive over coffee from your friendly neighborhood attorney.

If you’ve never hired an attorney before, it can be an intimidating, daunting process. Unknowns about time or financial commitments can cause people to delay their legal questions and action. In the next few posts, I’ll walk you through the attorney hiring process I use at Tralle Law.

This consists of three steps:

1. The Initial Phone Call
2. The Client Questionnaire
3. The Initial Meeting

The first step is to set up an initial phone call. This phone call usually takes 30-60 minutes depending on the individual and their case. It’s an opportunity for me to ask basic questions about the case then give an overview of the custody, divorce, estate planning, or probate process in Minnesota. Clients can also ask questions they may have.

I am not the client’s attorney at the initial phone call stage, so I’m giving general information, but not specific legal advice. For example, if the person is asking about a divorce, I will give information about the court process, but I would not advise them to take a specific stance without more information and the client signing a retainer agreement. Or, if the client is asking about estate plans, I would tell them generally about the documents involved, but not exactly what is needed in their case until a complete questionnaire has been filled out and the retainer agreement has been signed.

After the initial phone call, I’ll ask if they’d like an email with a questionnaire and retainer agreement for their review. If they want it, I’ll send that to the client. Then we move to step two: the client
questionnaire.

If you have questions about divorce or custody proceeding, estate planning, or probate, please contact Claire Tralle to set up a free initial telephone call.

The information in the Coffee with Claire series are intended to provide information only.  No legal advice is being provided or implied via this blog post.  No attorney-client relationship is formed by providing this information.  An attorney-client relationship with Tralle Law, LLC is formed only after a retainer contact is signed by all parties.